Whereas the United States joins together each May to pay
tribute to the contributions of generations of Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders who have enriched the Nation’s history;
Whereas the history of Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders in the United States is inextricably tied to the story of the
Nation;
Whereas today, according to the United States Census
Bureau, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is one of the fastest
growing and most diverse populations in the United States, comprised of over 45
distinct ethnicities and over 28 language groups in the community;
Whereas the 2010 United States Census estimates that there
are 17,300,000 United States residents who identify themselves as Asian alone
or in combination with one or more other races and 1,200,000 United States
residents who identify themselves as Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander
alone or in combination with one or more other races;
Whereas the United States Census Bureau projects that by
2050, there will be 40,600,000 United States residents identifying as Asian
alone or in combination with one or more other races, to comprise 9 percent of
the United States population, and there will be 2,600,000 United States
residents identifying as Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander or Native
Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander in combination with one or more other
races, to comprise 0.6 percent of the total population;
Whereas the month of May was selected for Asian/Pacific
American Heritage Month due to the following two historical events, first, May
7, 1843, when the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States, and
second, May 10, 1869, when, with substantial contributions from Chinese
immigrants, the first transcontinental railroad was completed;
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have faced
injustices throughout United States history, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act
of 1882, the Japanese American internment, unpunished hate crimes including the
murder of Vincent Chin, and other events;
Whereas section 102 of title 36, United States Code,
officially designates May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, and
requests the President to issue each year a proclamation calling on the people
of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs,
ceremonies, and activities;
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, such as
civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama, Medal of Honor recipient Herbert
Pililaau, the first Asian American Congressman Dalip Singh Saund, the first
Asian American Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink, the first Asian American member of
a presidential cabinet Norman Y. Mineta, and others have made significant
strides in the political and military realms;
Whereas the Presidential Cabinet includes a record three
Asian Americans, including Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Commerce Secretary Gary
Locke, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki;
Whereas the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, a
bicameral caucus of Members of Congress advocating on behalf of Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders, is composed of 30 Members this year, including Senate
President Pro Tempore Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, the highest ranking Asian
American in United States history;
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made
history by assuming office in a number of new and historically significant
positions, including Nikki Haley, the first Asian American and first female
governor of South Carolina, Edwin M. Lee, the first Asian American Mayor of San
Francisco, California, and Jean Quan, the first Asian American and first woman
to serve as Mayor of Oakland, CA;
Whereas today, Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders
are serving in a record number of State legislatures across the Nation, in
States as diverse as Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii,
Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas,
Virginia, Utah, and Washington;
Whereas Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have risen
to some of the highest positions in President Obama’s Administration, including
Pete Rouse as the first Asian American to serve as White House Chief of Staff,
Tina Tchen as Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, Chris Lu as White
House Cabinet Secretary, Neal Katyal as Acting Solicitor General of the United
States, Rajiv Shah as Administrator of the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), L. Tammy Duckworth as Assistant Secretary
for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs,
Anthony M. Babauta as Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas at the Department
of Interior, and many others;
Whereas there has been a commitment to judicial diversity
through the nomination of high caliber Asian American and Pacific Islander
jurists at all levels of the Federal bench;
Whereas significant outreach efforts to the Asian American
and Pacific Islander community have been made through the reestablishment of
the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to
coordinate multiagency efforts to ensure more accurate data collection and
access to services for this community;
Whereas even with these exceptional milestones crossed by
the community, there remains much to be done to ensure that linguistically and
culturally isolated Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have access to
resources, a voice in the United States Government, and continue to advance in
the Nation’s political landscape; and
Whereas celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
provides the people of the United States with an opportunity to recognize the
achievements, contributions, history, and address the challenges faced by Asian
Americans and Pacific Islanders: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of
Representatives—
(1)recognizes the significance of
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the
significant contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the
Nation’s history; and
(2)recognizes that
Asian American and Pacific Islander communities enhance the rich diversity of
the United States and strengthen the Nation.